my local government at work

[storch]

the problem was a minor one but none the less annoying, especially at rush times.  there are a series of intersecting roads from small gated communities filled with very posh houses that flow into a major east west artery.

 these intersecting feeder roads are each controlled by traffic lights at the intersecting junction.  the lights favored the feeder roads and tended to create huge snarl ups during rush periods.  they would time out irrespectively of whether there was a car in queue on the feeder road or not.  

I suggested to my councilman via email and linky to convince the county to install a traffic control device that allowed the lights to time out normally during peak useage but if there was no presence on the intersecting road for the main artery's traffic control device to go from green to yellow and back to green thus short cutting the annoying two minute red period.

guess what!!! today a tech guy was installing these new loop detectors in the AM.  I just went home for lunch and the light on the main artery went from green to yellow to green!!!!!!! no long and pointless red light!!!!!!  now on the way out I have to see if the light will punish me or if upon sensing the presence on the feeder road will cause the device to trigger a light change in thirty seconds.

I never received a response from my councilman and the technology is fairly new, coincidence or not I'm a happy customer and glad for my local government doing what they do best in a timely manner.  wtg dade county.

[Vudak]

Amazing what can happen when you actually get involved, eh?

Not bashing you here...  It's really hard to imagine, considering you figure you're just a small drop in the well, but then you have to consider that if you voice your opinion, you're in the top 5% or so of people who actually care, and you're worth more then a drop.

[SFRT - Frenchy]

Don't forget to send them a letter voicing your satisfaction too.

[storch]

indeed, I just did.  the local county commission here is pretty responsive, it has to be because dade county is probably as big bureaucratically as many smaller states.  the councilman is the key link and here they are effective.